I'm just wondering… When Obama was at the negotiation table, where was his back up against the GOP?

[MrScorpio]

Where are they now?

Why are the Republicans allowed to run roughshod over everything and mostly unmolested?

What is THEIR price for failure?

We're constantly reminded with what that price is for the President, from all sides, mind you. But why aren't the Republicans getting at least the same treatment, if not, worse? Can anyone answer that? Because I can't figure it out.

It's quite obvious that the GOP's shitty preexisting policy positions, which can't be simply overturned with a snap of the fingers, the air of phony legitimacy ingrained in the body politic and media as well and their ability to gum up the works at any given time is the central problem that has to be dealt with. Sure, they represent THEIR constituents; the rich, the corporations, the authoritarian fetishists, the haters and the terminally stupid, but let's face it, they aren't everyone. Yet, they seem to have most of the clout, which the GOP can depend upon keep their shitty preexisting policy positions and phony airs on the table and we're restricted, by popular demand, to play with the GOP's loaded dice.

They, not the Left, are the Default. Crony capitalism, militarism, worship of the oligarchical classes, corporate and privatization fetishism… You name it, they are the Gold Standard… Not Democracy and the Public Sector. The GOP's mantra is that government does not work, then they're given the keys to prove it. What is their price for intentional failure? Again, I can't figure that out. So far, they operate like a massive octopus of horrible ideas, while the Left is made up of a gaggle of disparate flounders, unable to agree on anything.

We can't beat them like that.

I'm just not seeing a mass effort on our part to deal with it, outside of the reaction due to the Great GOP overreach of 2011. Hey, that was some great stuff, but it's only dealing with the fringe of Republican bullshit, not the meat and potatoes.

Sure Obama took the job, a thankless one at that. But also I remember that people stayed at home when it was their time to step up and things only got worse, which didn't make his job, or our attitudes, any better.

Again, I see the signs that we're about to do ourselves another disservice and instead of making the GOP pay for their crimes, we're about to flagellate ourselves in their stead.

By the way, I'm not going to bite anyone's head off because I disagree with anything they have to say, and I'm sure that many of you will have angry replies.

But really, the GOP has caused or lead on 99% our problems, because they are the MOST dishonest brokers alive, and we are bound to play within the rules of the game, even when those rules put us at a disadvantage….

So, when, where and how are the Republicans going to be hamstrung for their crimes and misdemeanors and what army, besides a President who's all by his lonesome right now, is going to do the necessary hamstringing?

I await your consideration.

[Bluenorthwest]

1. See, you are not being very honest about things....

The President is into bipartisan action and language. You say poor guy is all alone. You say the GOP are dishonest brokers, but the President has called them honest brokers many times. To stand with him, you can not be saying those things about 'our partners and friends', man.
If the President stopped drooling over the Republicans, and started sounding more like you or me about them, he'd not be in such deep shit. If we stand up to the Republicans he does not have our backs. This we know by now.
And a job at Head of State is simply not thankless, man. He is well paid, constantly praised, and living in utter served comfort. To call that thankless is just offensive, particularly when he is sucking money out of the hands of the very least among us.

[MrScorpio]

6. I also said that our side is bound to play in the rules

Even while those rules work against us… When I hear him speak of bipartisanship, I gather that he uses that language to tell the GOP that the rules apply to them as well.

However, they aren't listening and are allowed to get away with murder, while Obama is held to a different standard.

The GOP is NOT being punished for their malfeasance.

Now let's say that Obama decides to step outside of the framework which he currently believes that he's bound to abide by, in order to counter the Republicans with their own tactics… What's to be gained by this? What would happen when the Right goes completely apeshit with concrete proof that he's a despot, instead of just working with the fantasies in their pointy little heads?

He's not the one sucking us dry, THEY ARE. They've been the ones doing it since day one. Sure, he threw them a bone and they didn't bite this time… But what's stopping the rest of us from putting them on a short leash and banishing them to the porch?

[Bluenorthwest]

8. He 'believes he is bound to abide by' biparisan bs? Why?

No President in history has ever felt obliged to blow kisses and send sweet missives to the opposition Party. This is a two Party system, he either opposes them or he is playing with them, those are the choices, there is NO elected role in this country that is 'non partisan' and no other high office holder has ever, ever claimed to be 'bound' to the other Party. What is to be gained by opposing the opposition? Is that an actual question, man? And note, I did not say he should use GOP tactics at all, I said he should speak and act like a Democrat, not some sort of expediter of Congressional food orders. He should listen to Harry Truman and FDR and other great Democrats in that office, and stop with this ego soaked delusion that 'the rules are different for him so he has to say he loves the GOP. That is bullshit, baseless nonsense.
How are 'we' supposed to counter him, how can we put them on a short leash? Not one GOPer in Congress that I could vote out, dude. None were elected from my entire region. What the fuck can I do that the President can not do? He's the President, man. That is his damn job. He has the power and the tools. He needs to use them or he will lose them, they are a loaner program from the people, and he, like all Presidents, is a temp hire.
He is acting with them if he does not act with us, against them. Those are his choices.

[MrScorpio]

9. It's like you're telling me that he's a GOPer in everything except name only

C'mon, that's ridiculous.

He, like the rest us, are playing in a sandbox that the GOP has taken more than thirty years to build. It has all of us by the freaking short and curlies. We only had a relatively short time to slow down their train before their bull gummed up the works. Now we're at a virtual standstill, with the momentum working against us again. The system, as they have designed it, is where we are now and where we've been for so very long. It's not going away.

What is the course of action to be taken to create a Gold Standard of our making, instead of polishing the GOP's turd?

BTW, point taken that your region does not contribute to the GOP's clout… However, it's a sad state of affairs that other regions could have stepped up when they were needed, but dropped the ball because of a lack of commitment.

[TheKentuckian]

2. There are few options for punishing the TeaPubliKlans that have not been exercised

at my disposal. None within the framework, it is left on the people we elect to prosecute their crimes, undo their agenda, and repudiate their failed ideology which leaves little option than to replace officials until they do their fucking jobs.

I am also sure that enacting their instead of allowing them the pleasure of executing ridiculous and dangerous policies is stupid whether they feel punished or not.

[BeyondGeography]

3. This country has always been about the owners

Whatever progress we've ever had has followed their ridiculous and inexcusable excesses. Then they react violently and the rank-and-file falls in line or tippy-toes around them, because most of them work for terminally unhappy crazy rapacious people just like the GOP'ers you see on the teevee.

That's the best I can come up with. You ask the right question. They fuck everything up and they still get to run things.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[UrbScotty]

5. I rec'd this thread and it still says 0. What a shame.

[EFerrari]

7. I just said the same thing in another thread.

Why don't most people know how many times the ceiling was raised for the cokehead?

Because the party leadership isn't doing its messaging job.

[SeattleGirl]

10. And the M$M doesn't help our side, regardless of any efforts

put out by it.

Caribou Barbie does a fake bus tour and she gets tons of air time.

The President and/or his representatives try to get a message out, and oftentimes it's ignored or given short shrift.

Yeah, we could probably do a better job at messaging, but unless we have a platform, a national platform, to get it out there, much of it is going to be lost.

[inna]

11. "They, not the Left, are the Default." - Obviously.

And just as obvious, Obama is not even anywhere near "Left".


My consideration? - Cognitive dissonance, imo.